Lost and Found
by yagiza
Summary: 10th October: a day of mourning, sadness and anger, but also the time to remember the dead, the lost and forgotten. A day of loss. What if the events that night played out different? What if something, someone thought to be lost forever never was?
1. Chapter 1

**Lost and Found**

Summary: 10th October: a day of mourning, sadness and anger, but also the time to remember the dead, the lost and forgotten, be it elder or child, shinobi or civilian. A day of loss. What if the events that night played out different? What if something, someone thought to be lost forever never was?

**Actual timeline:**

"…"– speech

'…'– thought

**Flashback:**

"…"_– speech_

'…'_– thought_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Nightmare**

He knew where he was. How would he not. The light colour of the round walls, the blue carpeted floor, the row of huge rectangular windows on front side, normally providing a great view on the village and a feel of welcoming for everybody who enters the door. One of the reasons he didn't mind the paperwork … that much. Regardless of how many piles there would be and of the day's current weather, one look from his desk to the window and all his sorrow and boredom would disappear immediately. Normally, but not today.

Today he didn't want to look out there. He didn't want to see the village, the state it was in, didn't want to hear the screams of horror anymore; he heard them long enough. But he couldn't avert his gaze, couldn't close off his ears. Against his will, his body moved. Automatically. Like a hidden power would guide him. He knew well enough he couldn't resist, but tried it nonetheless, like he always did. And like always it was in vein.

Slowly, he got up on his knees. He had been lying on the floor. He didn't know why, until a sudden pain on the back of his head reminded him, again. He had been knocked out, from an old friend, a person he trusted not to do something so utterly stupid. The voice of reason in the chaos. But now …Suddenly he stood before the window, not wanting to look away anymore in hope this time would be different … but it wasn't. Again, he saw nothing but destruction. No attack, no fiend, nothing was there anymore other than the desperate cries, the smell of blood and death, of burned flesh, once proud buildings reaching the sky now crumbled on the floor, holes and craters engulfed by the surrounding fires and the light of the night's full moon.

It was over. The sacrifice had been made, but the wrong one.

It should have been him; he was supposed to die, it was his responsibility to make the sacrifice … the sacrifice …

"NARUTO!!!"

Screaming he woke up, eyes wide open staring in the depth of the dark room, sweat running down his forehead into the already wet fabric of his cushion. His hand made its way to his eyes, forcing them to close only to have the darkness disturbed with pictures of a ruin soaked in blood that seemed to bleed out of the heap of rubble that was once part of the proud hospital of Konoha; a part, where once new life came into this world day after day, now turned into a graveyard for dozens of people, and one life that was never allowed to even try his luck in the world of the living.

A life that only existed in his memory anymore, a secret from the world. Had he know what would happen, he would have yelled in happiness from the Hokage Monument the moment he found out, like Kushina told him to do. At least that way he would be remembered by more than two people. But he had been afraid, afraid of what might happen to him, of the dangers his son would face once the world, and his enemies, would know of his existence.

Another memory made its way in his consciousness: A fiery red head, probably the most beautiful being he ever laid his eyes on, lying against the trunk of an old tree in the middle of a field of flowers. Her eyes closed, while her hands rested on her bulged stomach, caressing in with all the love she could give and summing a light melody that brought light in his heart.

He wanted to touch her, to tell her only once more how much he loved her, to lay one more time his hand on her stomach and feel the strong kicks of his unborn son and dream of a future, where the three of them would be in this same place again together. His wife watching and smiling while he and his son sparred and trained until their energy left and they would eat hot ramen to beat their hunger. A dream that would come every night for months, like a prophecy, only to suddenly be replaced by that horrible nightmare of a memory.

Letting out a deep sigh, he made his way to the bathroom to get ready for another day of paperwork, mission assignments and political games. He knew it was early, too early for any other to go to work, but was sure he wouldn't be able to sleep any longer, he never could after the nightmare, and without something occupying his mind more and more bad memories would torture him. That he had learned in the past five years. Since the day, where he lost the two people most precious to him.

And with a last glance at a photo on his nightstand and a silent prayer, the Yondaime Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, made his way out of the room, hoping once again to wake up one day and find the dream he once had coming true.

* * *

Cries of joy and happiness flooded the streets of Konoha. Dozens of shop owners going through their morning routine stopped to look around for the source, dogs began to bark in rhythm to the sound and the shinobi who were lying in bed after having had nightshift at the gate groaned in unison at their unfortunate luck. Why you ask? Because today was the most unfortunate date of the year to have night guard duty: It was the day a new generation of young shinobi hopefulls began their long awaited shinobi carrier by setting their feet in the Ninja Academy for the first time.

Especially one young girl couldn't be more happy, as for her it was one step further to fulfil her biggest dream and ambition: to become the greatest weapons master the world has ever seen and a kunoichi comparable to the legendary sannin Tsunade.

"Good morning, sweety. How are you today?", a voice greeted as she entered the kitchen.

"Today the academy starts, daddy. I can't wait to be a real shinobi", she run up to the man and gave him a strong hug that he nearly fell over. "It's gonna be great!" The man began to laugh at his daughter's enthusiasm. The girl was already wearing the new ninja gear he gave her to her last birthday. A dark green top in Chinese style and brown tight shorts, with hidden pockets for senbon and a few bigger ones for a number of scrolls. Her brown hair was put in the usual two buns, like her mother always had always worn. Every time he looked at her he was stunned at how much the girl looked and acted like her, it made his heart light to see his wife left something of her in this world.

"I'm sure you'll do great, Ten-chan. But have some patience. It will take some years before you are truly a shinobi. Enjoy the time you have till then, ok?", the girl looked at him with big eyes, but then smiled and nodded eagerly.

The two sat soon at the table eating breakfast, while the girl happily talked about what she will do once she would be a shinobi, all the countries she would visit and new weapons she would find and create, not surprisingly as she was the daughter of a weapon shop owner and one of the best blacksmiths of Konoha. "And then I will surely visit Hidden Mist and meet the Seven Swordsmen and then I will fight them and their legendary weapons and I will kick their as … eh, I mean, I will win, no doubt about that and then …"

Her story was disturbed by a blond mob crashing into her and knocking her of her chair. Taking a deep breath to get over the shock, she raised her head of the ground only to see a little figure lying on top of her hugging her tightly. Her father's laughter sounded in the background, she just knew she surely wasn't going to live this down for a long time. Slowly she put her arms around the small bundle, holding it tight while sitting up on her knees.

"Morning, little brother", she said, running her hand through the blond boys hair. "What's up?"

Whimpering silently, the boy slowly raised his head to look up to her. "I-I don't want you to leave me alone, neechan", he answered, tears building up in his deep blue eyes, threatening to run down his face. "Stay."

"Ah, Hiro-chan, I will come back soon, you know. Academy starts today, but it will only be for a few hours, then I will be back. Come on, you are a big boy now, aren't you? Your dream is to be a shinobi to, right?" Here the sad face of the boy immediately change into a large grin. "Of course! I will be the greatest ninja ever and one day I will be the Hokage! Yeah!" Laughing at the little one, the girl looked him into the eyes. "Hokage, eh? But to become that you also will have to attend the academy, like I'm going to do now. And once you are a ninja you will also have to leave for a longer period of time, and not only this house and your family, but also the village. Dad and I can't always be there with you, you know."

The boy saw that his sister was right, but that didn't make it any easier. He nodded though and let his sister go, looking at the ground the whole time, not sure if he could look her in the eyes without breaking down again. He just didn't want to be alone. The girl could see the inner struggle of her little brother, smiling at that. She knew he would get over it soon. Taking him in her arms again, she whispered in his ear. "Hey, don't cry, little brother. I promise that when I am back, we will play together, ok. And if you want, I will also show you what I learned in the adacemy, then we can study together and you will be a great ninja even before you enter. How does that sound?"

"Really? Ok, I will be the greatest! Thanks Ten Ten. But then you better listen well so you can teach me everything, got it?" Looking at the stern expression on her little brothers face, Ten Ten couldn't keep her laughter, but she was joined soon by her brother and father too.

After they had calmed down, Ten Ten bit her little family goodbye and left for the academy, not before receiving a last hug from the little desperate boy.

"Don't worry, my boy. We will have a great day at the shop. Maybe I'll show how to forge a kunai today. What do you think? You like that?" The huge grin that appeared again on his son's face told the man that everything was alright again, crisis over. He knew his son couldn't be sad for too long, it just wasn't in his nature. In his live, he only knew a hand full people like his son, and this thought raised again a question he asked himself a lot in the past few years, though he never dared to try and find the answers to it.

'Who are you really, Hiro?'

* * *

Please enjoy!

Don't own Naruto.


	2. Chapter 2

**Lost and Found**

Summary: 10th October: a day of mourning, sadness and anger, but also the time to remember the dead, the lost and forgotten, be it elder or child, shinobi or civilian. A day of loss. What if the events that night played out different? What if something, someone thought to be lost forever never was?

**Actual timeline:**

"…"– speech

'…'– thought

**Flashback:**

"…"_– speech_

'…'_– thought_

* * *

**Chapter 2: New Life**

When he was a little boy, his grandmother always told him stories about heros, legendary ninjas who fought for the people they loved and the land they lived on. He heard about the powers of nature, storms that flattened mountains, fires that burned everything and created the first deserts and seas that engulfed everything in its way. And he heard about mysterious creatures, standing higher than the highest mountain, with powers that no human could imagine even in the slightest.

Yes, he knew all the stories when he was a child, and back then he wondered where those creatures were, where they hide, and he wondered if he would ever see one of them. If he would one day be able to fight against one of them, to prove himself as a hero like those ninjas in the tales. He never thought that one day this dream of his childhood would hunt him down. How wrong he was. Now, he knew better.

Some wishes and dream aren't meant to be fulfilled. Some of them should better be forgotten.

* * *

_Ruins … blood … wounds … limbs …death_

_Nothing else. _

_This wasn't a fight. Not a war._

_This was a massacre. They were nothing more than a fly trying to fight a toad … only that even the fly had a better chance of survival than they did at the moment._

"_We can't keep this up forever. Half of our men are already dead and this thing hasn't even a scratch yet. We have to retreat or …"_

"_No!!! We can't! We have to stall it a while longer. Hokage-sama needs the time to find a solution."_

"_But …"_

"_There is no 'but", another ninja broke up their conversation. "Hokage-sama told us to do everything we can to buy him time. We can't let him down now. And we can't let this monster anywhere near Konoha, near OUR FAMILIES! No matter what happens to us. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" _

_None of them said another word; all of them remembered once more the faces of their beloved ones who awaited their return - wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, children, siblings. They knew for some of them this would be the last time._

"_Let's go. FOR KONOHA!" With that they rushed forward as one unit, releasing one attack after another against the might before them._

* * *

_It was over. He couldn't believe it. One minute he was fighting alongside his comrades, throwing weapons and jutsu without plan__, because it was the only thing to stay alive. One wrong move – death, slowing down for even a second – death. _

_Left and right, he had watched people die, comrades, friends. He had seen a young kunoichi, who he had sometimes talked to while waiting for a mission, freezing up as a wave of killing intend washed over the forest, only to be caught in the poisonous charka of the beast. And he could do nothing than watch in horror as the red evil slowly melted away the woman's skin, reaching her muscles, covering her flesh and ripping apart her organs, while she screamed in absolute terror, eyes wide and tears streaming down her face, until the pain got to much and her body couldn't function any longer. Even now he could see her face when he closed his eyes, as well as the faces of all the other shinobi he had seen dying that night._

"_Tori! Are you alright?"_

_Hearing a familiar voice, he cleared his mind and brought it away from the memories he knew would haunt him for a long time and turned around to see the blood covered face of his friend since his academy days._

"_Mitsuhiko … you are alive, that's good. One less on my list to mourn over, saves me time …"_

_Both stared at each other for a while; then, as if on command, both began to chuckle and eventually a full blown laughter broke out of them. Tears began to stream down their faces, mixing with their blood, while the two held each other to ensure themselves that it was real, that they really lived. They didn't know how long they stayed that way, it wasn't important. All the memories of the night, all the fear and sorrow – they let it out in that moment. They broke down, because they needed it. Because they wanted to live again, live the new life they had been granted with that day. A life others died for to protect._

_Eventually, they pulled back from the embrace, but they felt better, or at least as good as they could considering the circumstances._

"_Have you seen Miko and Ten Ten already? Are they alright?"_

_Shaking his head, Tori answered the question. "Ten-chan is alright, she was at the shelters with our neighbours. They took good care of her. My wife I don't know. She was needed at the hospital to help all the wounded and help to evacuate the patients already in there as she is one of the best medic nin in Konoha at the moment. I'm on my way to check up on her there."_

"_I see. Then better go on, I'm sure she wonders where you are already. I'm going back to the others to help in searching for wounded … and dead bodies. You joining later?"_

_Nodding as an answer, he wished his friend a silent goodbye and continued on his way to the hospital, where he hopefully would see his wife alive to shake off the dreadful feeling that somehow he wasn't able to let go._

"_Did you hear?"_

"_Hear what?"_

"_It's Yondaime. They say he died. He appeared on the battlefield on his huge toad and killed the fox, nobody knows how."_

"_Yondaime?! … But I heard it was the Sandaime on the toad. They brought his body to the Hokage Tower already."_

"_Why should the Sandaime be on the battletoad of Yondaime … that doesn't make any sense, and if so, how did he beat the fox anyway? Do you think he used some forbidden jutsu or …"_

_Everywhere people talked about the night. Tori found it kind of funny. 'A huge demonic fox attacks the village, kills hundreds of people and nearly destroys the village itself completely, but even then one thing seems to survive everything – gossip' He sighed, but somehow it gave him the feeling of home. 'Well, that's Konoha for you.'_

_Slowly he made his way through the streets. The sun began to rise and for the first time that day he saw the real extend of destruction, even though the sunlight only reached the highest edges of the village yet. But it was enough to tell how bad it had been, and one could imagine what would have happened had the fox succeeded in his quest._

_Fortunately, he was awoken from this line of thought by the familiar roofs of Konoha's hospital. The nearer he came, the more and more people he met on the streets, even some civilians already left the shelters, probably to help with the wounded and to search for their relatives who were on the battlefield. _

"_The hospital too? Are you sure?"_

_Tori stopped in his tracks. 'The hospital?'_

"_Yeah, absolutely. Some debris of a near building crashed into it and the part collapsed instantly because of it. They say it was part of the maternity ward."_

"_At least not the main part. I'm sure they evacuated the pregnant women first of all, so there hopefully are no victims."_

"_Unfortunately, there are. As much as I heard, a woman went into labour at the beginning of the attack or something like that and because of the evil charka of the fox in the air it was to risky to transfer her somewhere else. So one of the best doctors and some nurses stayed there with her."_

"_You don't want to say that …"_

"_Yes, they were all crushed when the building gave in, the doctors there as well as the women and her baby. They suppose it didn't even get a chance to be born as the woman's body was crushed from the neck downwards …"_

_At that Tori ran as fast as he could. He was afraid, he feared to know just who the doctor was that stayed to deliver the baby. 'Miko, please …'_

_When he arrived at the scene, he wished he could be somewhere else. To see a place for new life to be born now soaked in blood and flesh was a worse sight than the battlefield he just came from. Somewhere on the side he saw a few stretchers with what he supposed were the corpses of the found people covered with white sheets, some of which were already soaked with some blood.__ He walked over to them, ready for what he knew he had to do. When he reached them, he saw that the faces were uncovered and clean of blood, maybe for identifying purposes. 'At least I won't get surprises by uncovering them myself.'_

_The first was a young blond girl, not older than fifteen, then a black-haired woman. One after one, Tori looked at the faces, recognizing some as he had met them at one or another time at the hospital while he waited for his wife at the end of her shift. When he saw what seemed to be the last corpse he barely was able to keep his cry of joy silent. There laid a middle-aged man, whom he recognized as one of the hospitals few male medic nins. His wife wasn't the one staying._

_Just as he wanted to leave again, another stretcher was brought to where the others were. He caught a glimpse of red, a red he would know everywhere. A shiver ran through his body, as he thought of the only person he knew with this hair colour in Konoha, no, maybe in all the elemental countries. Hoping to be wrong he turned around, only to be met with the unmistakable face of the young woman, whom he had known since he was a teenager, and probably the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on, not that he would tell his wife, of course. 'But… why was she here? She wasn't a medic, so why …' His thought stopped as he remembered the words of woman he met on the way._

"_As much as I heard, a woman went into labor at the beginning of the attack or something like that and because of the evil charka of the fox in the air it was to risky to transfer her somewhere else."_

'_My god … she was pregnant?! How … when … who? I thought she was away from the village, on a mission or that she left for good. I didn't see her anywhere in the village__ during the last year and Miko didn't too. We always wondered what happened to her …'_

"_Yes, they were all crushed when the building gave in, the doctors there as well as the women and her baby. They suppose it didn't even get a chance to be born as the woman's body was crushed from the neck downwards …"_

'_I'm sorry, I should have looked for you when we didn't see you in months. I don't even know who the father is … would have been. I'm sorry.' With a last prayer he turned around and walked away, too caught up in his regret to give any attention to the where. _

_He didn't notice the surroundings change slightly, instead of the hospital he was now in an alleyway nearby, or at least it was once. In front of him a pile of rubble blocked nearly the entire way. Then, just as Tori wanted to turn around and walk back, a cry nearby caught his attention, as it wasn't a cry of sorrow or even of an adult. It was the cry of a baby. As fast as he could he made his way to the other side of the blockade, only to stop in his tracks when he saw what was hidden behind._

_A huge piece o__f stone, maybe part of a wall, lay on the ground in the middle of the street. Its centre was broken, causing its sides to lie at an angle to the ground. What shocked him tough, was what seemed to be the reason of the split. The reason of the cries he heard. A woman, lying on her stomach in an attempt to protect the young life in her arms, using her body as a shield. Her brown hair covered her face so he couldn't make out any reactions or breathing, put considering her situation he didn't need to see to know that help wouldn't be needed anymore. _

_He kneeled beside the two bodies to extract the baby from the strong grip. But as he moved the woman's right arm something came in his view that he hoped he would only see again once he was back in the hospital, see it the moment he would embrace again the woman that he thought about the whole night, the one he loved more than everything. _

'_No, oh, please no'_

_Near __her right wrist, laid a small, broken silver chain. The pendant was a golden ring with a small blue stone at the front. Tori's eyes teared up, as he knew that, would he take the ring and turn it around, he would find two names as well as a date. Miko and Tori, and the date of their wedding. Forcing his eyes off the necklace, he carefully extracted the bundle from his wife's arms and laid it down on the side on his jounin vest to make it more comfortable for the child. Only then he once again he turned around to his wife again, bringing her near him with his arms for one last embrace. _

* * *

With the amused eyes of a father watching his child trying to solve a puzzle, Tori observed Hiro who tried to light on the fire of the forge. He wanted to laugh at the by now desperate expression on the boys face as yet another try to start the fire failed. If one thing could be said about Hiro, it was that regardless of the situation, he never gave up. His will to succeed and to hang on could not be broken easily.

'One so young to survive that night would need the will of a lion.' Tori thought back to the small bundle he found in the arms of his dead wife all those years ago. The baby looked so fragile, only covered in a thick white hospital sheet. Even until today he didn't know why his wife had the baby with her or why she was that alleyway instead of the hospital, but then again, he never really asked, only thought about it from time to time. He remembered when he separated himself from Miko's body and took the baby in his arms to bring it back to the hospital. Just then the baby woke up from the slumber it had fallen into after a while and for the first time Tori got a clear look at its face, and its eyes. That was when it happened. Something in the baby's eyes bore deep in his soul. His heart immediately lightened up, the grief and pain he felt the moment before seemed to suddenly decrease, and was flooded by another feeling: hope.

It was in that moment that Tori really knew that a new life, a new era, a new way had begun. Not only that. For him it was a day of great loss, the loss of his comrades and friends and the loss of his wife. But at the same time, new life entered this world, even tough he didn't know the baby's age or birth date, to survive in this environment definitely required the will to survive. Like every shinobi and civilian, this baby too had been reborn that day and he promised himself that he would do everything he could to protect the life his wife had died for.

'And we never go back on our word and never break a promise. Right, my son?'

* * *

Don't own Naruto.


	3. Chapter 3

**Lost and Found**

Summary: 10th October: a day of mourning, sadness and anger, but also the time to remember the dead, the lost and forgotten, be it elder or child, shinobi or civilian. A day of loss. What if the events that night played out different? What if something, someone thought to be lost forever never was?

**Actual timeline:**

"…" – speech

'…' – thought

**Flashback:**

"…"_ – speech_

'…'_ – thought_

* * *

**Chapter 3: School Days**

There were times, when he really wondered if what they did, if how they lived their life was right. He knew, he probably shouldn't have such thoughts, but he just couldn't help but worry sometimes. Maybe even too often. Was it really alright for humans, or any other beings, to defy nature, to bend the elements or even try to evade or control death? Who did have the right to decide who lives and who dies? He really couldn't help but wonder about these and similar questions. Every time he assigned a mission, there was the chance of someone dying, be it his own ninja or one of their enemies. There were even those particular missions, whose success basically depends on it. Assassination, suicide mission … all for the greater good, right?

Yeah, he knew he couldn't avoid them, couldn't ignore them. But that didn't mean he had to like it. When those questions came to his mind, he always tried to shove them in the back of his mind. They were distracting, and he couldn't have that, could he? Normally, he succeeded in this task; there was only one day every year he has never been able to ignore the worry, fear and sadness those questions cause.

A day that marked a new beginning. No, not the beginning of life like he wished it was. No. It was the beginning of a new generation, the restart of the circle of live and death that was the way of the shinobi, the loss of innocence.

The day, when a new group of small children were taught how to kill, how to inflict pain, how to make war. Children who should instead play in the parks, run through the streets to see who was the fastest. Who should carry around dolls or play with puppies they found somewhere in a street. But instead they learned the most successful way to throw a weapon and the importance of staying in the shadows and the art of deception. They learned how to shut away their emotions and tears when needed, they learned to become killers.

All in the name of protection.

Shaking his head in frustration, he made his way through the already filled streets of the market, away from the great building that was the Hokage Tower. Already he could make out the red roof of the academy and every few meter children from five to twelve came running up behind him, not even sparing him a glance while they went by. He had to smile at that, especially as a ninja was supposed to always be aware of his surroundings.

'Maybe there's still a chance for them to have at least a somewhat normal childhood, as short as it may be.'

* * *

Children. Lots and lots of children. Children wherever you saw.

'That's paradise.'

She really couldn't wait to meet and befriend them. Sometimes she found it really funny. It wasn't like she was shy, quite the opposite if provoked. She hadn't any problem to come up and speak to somebody – no surprise there, as she, as long as she could remember, had helped her father in the shop serving customers, advising those who needed or asked for it. As such she knew many of them by their names, most – scratch that – all of them ninjas of the village, ranging from genin to even jounin. Some of them even played with her brother and her from time to time while they waited for her father to finish the order or bought them sweets (or ramen in case of her brother) when they met in the streets. And a few who knew her father very well even brought them presents for their birthdays.

So no, it wasn't like she had problems becoming acquainted with someone.

Still. Somehow, unintentionally, she never had, in her whole live, a friend her age. There was her brother, and she loved the little rascal with all her heart, but he couldn't count as a 'friend' per se, as he was part of the family.

No, with friend she meant a boy or a girl, with whom she could play and talk, away from the family. With whom she might even go to the academy together and become ninjas. But she had never had really the opportunity to do so.

Most of the day she either would help in the shop or take care of her little brother, sometimes both at the same time. Don't misunderstand, she loved helping in the store, between all those sharp things, the magnificent weapons, but the drawback was that the only part of the day for her to be just a child and to go to the playground like all the others was either the really early morning – when she liked to sleep even more than play, thank you very much – or the evening after the store was closed, before dinner was ready. It was mostly then that they went there for about an hour, but unfortunately, by the time they arrived, all the other children would already be at home or on their way back with their parents.

That was, aside from the ninja part, another reason why she was so happy today. Now she really had the chance to make some friends, as she would be together with other children the good part of the day, and still could help her father in the afternoon.

Yes, she was really a lucky girl.

Hearing one of the adults, quite possible one of the teachers, call out for the first years to come together in the courtyard of the academy for the introduction ceremony, she took into a run to get a place in the first row. She wanted to see and hear everything that was said and done, and maybe, if she was first, some kids would come over to her too and speak to her.

So as fast as she could she rounded the corner of the building, only to suddenly bump head on into something standing in her way.

"Umpfh …"

Shaking her head a little to get rid of the light disorientation, she immediately sprinted around the hindrance without even looking, only giving an apology, not really caring what it was that she had apologized to.

* * *

He just couldn't get enough of watching them weaselling around. So much laughter, shining faces and so much colouring that it would put the most beautiful rainbow to shame. Blondes and browns of every shade, black-heads randomly popping up in between like ravens in a wheat field; long and short, wonderful woven braids and wild manes fresh out of a storm; every colour and form there is to clothing; shady greens and greys, blues and blacks, but at the same time bright pink, yellows and oranges.

Every individual expressed in their own style.

Some running in circles, trying to catch another, some forming sort of a line – no doubt being eager to begin and maybe a bit nervous – then there were the wild ones, going as far as jumping straight onto the backs of their silent opposites, all of them stationed in shady places outside of the small groups to just observe their potential comrades – or simply expressing their annoyance with the hole procedure.

It made him wonder in which category his child would have fit in would have its time come. The wild and energetic jumper like his mother had been? Or the silent observer who needed his outgoing nature activated by being jumped upon first?

He caught himself taking in features of the children in the yard, putting them together to form a new face, one that could belong to –

"Umpfh …"

Something small impacted with his side and ended his thoughts, just to see a brown and green blob hastily jumping around him and running to the nearest group while mumbling an apology. The girl was quite sweet with her brown hair up in two puns and that green top – it reminded him of an old friend of his, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

He watched the girl as she approached a chattering group of girls in the middle of the yard who seemed to talk about something extremely funny considering their non-stop giggling and whispering and – was that a glance in the right corner?

'Oh … '

Having looked in the same direction to see what all this was about, he immediately understood that this generation most definitely wasn't any different than the last ones, at least in that one aspect.

There, in the shadow one of the trees, stood a young longhaired boy, stoically focussing his pale eyes on a small yellow bird sitting and singing on the wall surrounding the academy grounds, without giving away even a little bit of emotion on his face and stature.

'Poor boy … and in this case poor fangirls too. They will need devil's luck to get that Hyuuga to react to them, but they will soon see for themselves. But I wonder what it is about those stoic guys that attract girls like light does insects …'

Again thanking every deity that wants to listen for saving him from that fate and sending him his red-headed angel all those years ago, he decided the time was right and motioned the chunnin around him to horde the children together to begin with the ceremony.

"Welcome all of you to the Ninja-Academy of Konohagakure …"

* * *

It had been a great day when she first came here two months ago and she felt like the days were just going by, one after another. The teachers told them that for the first year they would mainly concentrate on the theoretical aspect of the shinobi life, aka history, geography, and all those (to her misfortune also including, but ONLY for girls, the art of the devil: flower arrangement), as well as physical conditioning and the basic of kami's art – weapon throwing – in the second half of the year, which she couldn't wait to begin – especially as her father promised her to start training her once the topic was taught by the teachers. All in all she was really happy to be able to learn here, though there was one thing she wished was different.

Regardless of her efforts, she still hadn't found a single friend. Sure, she talked to everyone in the class and got on with all of them fairly well, but not to an extend she would call one a 'friend'. Why?

Two words: Hyuuga Neji.

She didn't hate the guy, no, but neither did she love him – and that was the problem. All the girls fanned over him, going as far as fight each other about who would be allowed to sit next to him every morning, and on really bad days, even during every break. But still, they seemed to be friends with each other, as they shared the same interest. She on the other hand was an outsider, they talked to her sometimes about school or if they needed advice to one of the topics, but other than that they had no similarities. The guys on the other hand thought of her either as tomboy, which in their eyes was a weird-girl-pretending-to-be-a-guy that you better keep away from, or in the maybe even worse case as just another fangirl.

But she still didn't give up hope that one day she would meet someone to be friends with, and till then she would have to do with what she already had.

"Look, nee-chan. Looklooklooklooklook!!!"

Jumping up and down on his sister lab, a blond mop of hair tried to gain the attention of his sister who seemed to have space out while drawing with him. So to show her the picture he SPECIALLY made for her, two tiny hands tried to shove the paper directly in the girls face, so that she really couldn't miss it.

Tenten, in her quest to not suffocate on the paper shoved in her face, took it from her brother and regarded the drawing carefully. It showed the playground they always went to while their father made dinner, together with lots of figures, two of which she supposed were the two of them. Seeing the big blue eyes on her little brothers face and the expectation in them to get an answer or a comment from her, or any form of recognition, she remembered that she wasn't the only one with this problem. Her brother too had no outside friends, and with her first in the academy, then in the shop and homework in the evening, their wasn't much time she could spent with him either, even though she often learned the topics by telling him about it.

"Naru-chan, I love it. How about I ask dad if we could have this weekend off the shop and instead spend it together? We could go to playground as we haven't been there for a while now, would you like that?"

Needless to say, moving a whole mountain so you could pass comfortable was nothing against trying to get a certain boy to sleep that night.


End file.
